The Cumberland County mask mandate expired on Feb. 20 at 5 p.m. for public indoor spaces, but officials continue to recommend masking up to stop the spread of COVID-19.
According to a report by WRAL, Cumberland County’s Public Health Director Dr. Jennifer Green said that while data has shown an improvement as of late, the coronavirus pandemic is still happening around us. This goes extra for hospitals that continue to struggle with the amount of available bed space. Cumberland County office buildings will also continue to require masks, including the county courthouse and the Department of Public Health.
“We are still recommending that everyone in public indoor settings wear a mask,” Green said to WRAL, adding that this means anyone over 2 years old, whether they are vaccinated or not.
The positivity rate for COVID-19 in Cumberland County decreased drastically over a two-week period between Jan. 31 and Feb. 15, going from 37.8% to 25.5%. Hospitalization numbers also dropped from 172 to 106 at Cape Fear Valley Health System’s hospitals. She said these numbers helped inform the mandate shift.
Green also voiced her encouragement for people to be vaccinated. She explained that this is a much different spot than two years ago when the pandemic began. When the mask mandate was put in place, children couldn’t be vaccinated.
The report said that students must wear masks on school buses and other places where there tends to be high transmission rates, but schools in Cumberland County have the option to require wearing a mask in classrooms.
Schools that allow the choice to mask up include Clinton City, Franklin, Granville, Lee, Nash, Person, Harnett, Johnston, Samson, Moore, Vance, Wayne -effective Feb. 28- and Chatham -effective March 7. It is recommended that social distancing still be done when possible and to get vaccinated.
Green said that science and data has shown that masks are effective in curbing transmission rates. She said with treatment options being effective against the omicron variant -including ample free tests, mask and vaccinations- that she thinks “we are starting to turn a corner.”
